


Quality Time

by Mix Stitch (Synph)



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Babies, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-26
Updated: 2013-07-26
Packaged: 2017-12-21 11:20:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/899691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Synph/pseuds/Mix%20Stitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce receives an interruption from work in the form of his husband, Dick, and their infant daughter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quality Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [st00pz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/st00pz/gifts).



> For st00pz who wanted fluff and something where Bruce and Dick were married and had a kid as a [tiny commission](http://synphstories.tumblr.com/post/56257574648/10-x-tiny-commissions).

A knock on the door pulls Bruce away from his work late at night.

Looking up from the latest notes from Wayne Enterprise’s research department, Bruce opens his mouth with a soft reprimand already on his tongue. He’s expecting one of the older children in the house, maybe Damian with Titus trotting at his heels with expectant looks on both their faces.

"I have work —"

"You also have a baby in desperate need of cuddles," Dick announces, smiling as he bounces Marie in his arms until the dark-haired baby utters a giddy burst of laughter and claps her tiny brown hands together. “Look at Marie and tell me that going over these papers is more important than hanging out with us."

Shifting Marie in his arms, Dick reaches for one of their daughter’s chubby little arms and waves it in Bruce’s direction.

"We have the house to ourselves, Bruce," Dick says as Marie coos and drool trickles out of her open mouth. “Take some time off from work and come play with Marie." Dick lifts Marie and presses a quick kiss to the fine black hair resting in curls against the little girl’s scalp, eyeing his husband over their daughter’s hair.

Bruce frowns briefly, thin lips turning down at the corners. “I’m almost finished with this set of reports," he hedges, not quite looking at where Dick stands with Marie balanced on his hip. “I suppose this can be the last set of reports I look at."

"I guess that’s good enough," Dick says with a frown of his own tugging at his mouth. “We’ll be in the den. Don’t take too long though, because if Marie falls asleep again, no one’s waking her up until tomorrow." Dick shakes his head. “I thought you’d like the thought of bonding without Damian coming in to steal Marie from us."

There’s no hiding the hurt in Dick’s voice or in his eyes.

Bruce winces. “Fifteen minutes," he says quickly, already clicking out of the less important parts of the report so that he can speed up the process. “Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll come downstairs." When Dick continues to linger in the doorway, Bruce clears his throat. “I promise, Dick, I’ll only be a few minutes."

"You promise?" After Bruce nods, some of the tension seeps out of Dick’s shoulders and he hitches Marie up in his arms until the baby giggles and pats at his chest. “We’ll see you downstairs."

*

Bruce finishes going over the report in ten minutes.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Bruce makes it downstairs just in time to catch Dick blowing raspberries on Marie’s round stomach as she rests on top of a soft purple baby blanket stretched across the carpet. Marie squeals and giggles, reaching up and curling her chubby little fingers into Dick’s hair where wavy black strands tumble over her face.

The sight warms Bruce through and through. He smiles even though his husband and their daughter can’t see the expression and starts to walk across the den’s carpeted floor to join them in front of the television set.

Marie seems to notice Bruce’s presence before Dick. Grinning wide enough to show off her four tiny teeth, Marie coos at Bruce, unwinding her fingers from Dick’s long hair and waving at her other father when he comes closer.

"Ba," Marie says loudly, and it might mean “bottle" or it might be her way of calling him “father", but Bruce smiles nonetheless and drops down into a smooth crouch right on the edge of the baby blanket. He reaches for Marie first, brushing his fingers over the pale brown skin of her forehead and the little curls that smell like baby powder and lavender.

"Hi, Marie," Bruce says in that self-conscious tremor that always enters his voice when he talks to Marie in front of anyone. The logistics of baby talk has always escaped Bruce, but with Marie and Dick kneeling close enough that he can smell his husband’s cologne, he feels as though he owes Marie something more than stilted attempts at small talk that go right over her little head. “I’m sorry I haven’t played with you very much."

Dick sits up and hefts Marie up in a single, smooth movement. Marie can’t stand up on her own, not yet, but whenever someone holds her up like that, she can’t get enough of the change in altitude. Kicking her little legs, Marie squirms and unleashes a torrent of baby babble as she tries to turn towards Bruce.

"Marie doesn’t mind," Dick promises, smiling as he looks at the nervous and uncertain expression on his husband’s face. “She’s happy that you’re here  _now_ so don’t get broody on us." He sort of… jiggles Marie in Bruce’s general direction which unleashes another peal of happy cries and squeals. “C’mon, Bruce. You know you want to cuddle our girl."

Bruce takes Marie from Dick with a particular pinched look settling on his face. One of his hands spans Marie’s back. He can feel every breath that their little girl takes in through her open mouth. He can feel the vibration of her early attempts at speech, those crooning syllables that accompany a flood of drool and breath that smells faintly sour from spit up.

The experience, of holding Marie and knowing that she depends on them for everything, is both humbling and terrifying.

"It was easier with Damian," Bruce says more to Dick than to the baby cradled in his arms. His voice comes out hushed, almost unfamiliar to his own ears. “Easier in some ways and harder in others. He was older when he came to us. He’s his own person and I — I barely had anything to do with that, but Marie —" Bruce pauses when Marie starts to fuss and squirm unhappily against his chest and shifts so that she can sit on his leg and play with the half-undone length of tie around his throat. When he starts speaking again, Bruce doesn’t finish his sentence “I’m terrified that I won’t be a good father, Dick. I mean, I wasn’t the best before— Sometimes, it’s the only thing I can think of."

Dick’s smile softens and he reaches up to push some of his hair back out of his face. “It scares the hell out of me too sometimes, but I think we’ll do fine," he says. “After all, it’s not just us looking out for Marie. She has plenty of siblings to love her and as always, there’s Alfred."

Bruce manages a small smile for his husband. “What would we do without Alfred?"


End file.
